The world's longest metro and subway systems - Railway Technology The world’s ninth longest metro system Guangzhou Metro has been operational since 1997. The world's longest metro and subway systems Rapid urbanisation around the world has resulted in the construction of dozens of new metro and subway systems or the expansion of existing ones. Seoul Subway, South Korea Seoul subway serving the Seoul Metropolitan Area is the longest subway system in the world. The total route length of the system extended as far as 940km as of 2013. The first line of the subway was opened in 1974 and the system presently incorporates 17 lines (excluding the Uijeongbu LRT and the recently opened Yongin Ever Line). The subway system is operated by multiple operators including the state-owned Seoul Metro, Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation, Korail, Incheon Transit Corporation, and other private rapid transit operators. Many extension projects are under construction on the already extensive subway network. The annual ridership of the subway system in 2012 was a mammoth 2.518 billion making it the second busiest subway system after Tokyo subway.

Shanghai Metro, China The 468km network of the Shanghai Metro makes it the world's second longest. Shanghai Metro is the third rapid transit system in Mainland China, after Beijing and Tianjin. Shanghai Shentong Metro operates the network through its four subdivisions. The first line of the Shanghai Metro was opened in 1993, and the system is currently operated with 12 lines and 303 stations. Construction is underway to extend a few of the existing lines and add new lines to the system. The metro network is planned to be expanded up to a length of 877km with 22 lines. The annual ridership of the metro in 2012 was 2.276 billion. Beijing Subway, China Beijing Subway, China's oldest metro system, currently ranks as the world's third longest subway system comprising of 17 operatinglines spanning a total length of 456km. The subway system has been in operation since 1969 and is owned by the city of Beijing.

State-owned Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation operates 14 lines of the system, while the other three lines are operated by Beijing MTR through a public-private joint venture with the Hong Kong MTR. Eight of the 17 lines of the system serve the Beijing city's urban while the remaining nine lines offer connectivity to the suburbs. The network includes more than 270 stations and has an annual ridership of 2.46 billion (2012 estimate). Six new subway lines are expected to be operational on the system by 2016 and the total route length of the network is expected to exceed 1,000km by 2020. London Underground, United Kingdom London Underground, commonly known as the Tube, with a total route length of 402km is the world's fourth longest subway system.It is also the oldest metro system in the world and has been operational since 1863. It comprises of 11 lines and 270 stations, and is operated by Transport for London (TfL). The subway system provides inner-city metro services in Greater London and suburban railway services to some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex counties.

Surface lines comprise 54% of the system, while the rest 46% runs on sub-surface and deep-level tube lines. The annual ridership of the system was estimated at 1.17 billion in 2012. TfL has been carrying out major improvement programmes on the London Underground since 2007. New York Subway, United States The New York subway is currently the world's fifth longest subway system, with a total route length of 368km. The rapid transit system, serving the New York City, commenced operation in 1904. It is owned by the City of New York and operated by the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The subway system is operated with 24 lines and 468 stations, and is currently touted as having more stations than any other metro system. About 60% of the stations in the system are underground. The annual ridership of the subway in 2012 was 1.665 billion. Times Sq-42, followed by Grand Central-42, was the busiest station of the subway network with an annual ridership of 62 million.

Moscow Metro, Russia The 317.5km long Moscow Metro is the sixth longest subway system in the world. It is mostly underground, and serves the city of Moscow and the neighbouring towns Krasnogorsk and Reutov. State-owned enterprise Moskovsky Metropoliten owns and operates the metro system. The Moscow Metro is currently operated with 12 lines and 190 stations, and recorded an annual ridership of 2.389 billion in 2012. Lermontovsky Prospekt and Zhulebino are the two most recent stations inaugurated in November 2013 as part of the Tagansko-Krasnopresnenskaya line expansion. It is undergoing a major expansion programme to add 150km of line to the network by 2020. Tokyo Subway, Japan Tokyo subway system ranks seventh among the world's longest subway systems. The total route length of the subway system as of2013 was 310km comprising of 13 lines and 290 stations.

Private company Tokyo Metro operates nine lines and 184 stations, whereas Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation, also known as the Toei Subway, operates the remaining four lines and 106 stations. Tokyo subway is the busiest subway system in the world and recorded an annual ridership of 3.102 billion in 2012. Since the opening of first line in 1927, the Tokyo rapid transit system has been expanded to better serve the megacity with a population over 35 million as well as provide connections to suburban railway lines outside central Tokyo. Madrid Metro, Spain The Madrid Metro system serving Madrid, the capital city of Spain, is currently the world's eighth longest metro system. The Madrid Metro runs 293km long consisting of 13 lines and 300 stations. The first line of the system began operation in 1919. Metro de Madrid, under the administration of the autonomous community of Madrid, is the operator of the network. The metro system is operated with more than 2,400 train sets, most of them are CAF metro trains. The annual ridership of the metro in 2012 was 628 million.

The metro has been undergoing a new expansion and improvement plan since 2011, and is planned to be expanded by 24km by 2015. Guangzhou Metro, China Guangzhou Metro system serving the city of Guangzhou in the Guangdong Province of China is currently the ninth longest subway system in the world. The metro system has been operational since 1997 and currently measures 232km long. It currently consists of eight lines and 144 stations, and is operated by state-owned Guangzhou Metro Corporation. Guangfo line, the first intercity underground metro line in China, is part of the Guangzhou metro and connects Guangzhou with Foshan. The annual ridership of the Guangzhou metro in 2012 was 1.825 billion. The metro network continues to be expanded with construction of new lines and expansion of the existing lines. The route length of the system is expected to exceed 600km by 2020. Paris Metro, France Paris Metro serving the French capital city Paris and the Paris Metropolitan Area is the world's tenth longest metro system with total route length of 218km.

Paris Metro is one of the oldest urban transit systems in the world; the first line of the metro was opened in 1900. Paris Metro consists of 16 lines and 300 stations, most of them underground, and is operated by state-owned Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP). Line 14 of the metro system, opened in 1998, is completely automated and driver-less. Extensions of the Lines 4, 12 and 14 are currently under construction. The metro is operated with 700 train units and has an annual ridership of 1.524 billion (2012 estimate). Related content What is the largest metro system in the world? | CityMetric What is the largest metro system in the world? By CityMetric staff Sorry, Paris, you're not even close. Image: AFP/Getty. This week we've been trying to work out which city has the largest metro in the world. It was surprisingly complicated. So, for your delectation, here's the whole, horribly over complicated debate. There are more than 150 metro systems on the planet.

Exactly how many, though, is surprisingly difficult to pin down: there's some debate about which systems count, or whether to count integrated networks run by multiple operators as one metro or several. Working out which metro is the largest is a similarly difficult exercise. Does largest mean “longest”? Most stations? Biggest ridership? There probably isn't a definitive answer: too much depends on how you understand the question. But what the hell, we've started this now, so this week we're going to look at each possibility in turn. Which metro has the most stations? That looks straightforward enough, doesn’t it? Can’t possibly be any complicating factors here. Right? Stations are a pretty important consideration when dealing with metros: after all, without places to get on or off, there's not much point in having a train. And, in this category at least there seems to be a clear winner: the New York Subway has a record breaking 468 stations, roughly three-fifths of which are underground. So, the answer is New York. Here they all are: A poster listing all New York's subway stations. Image: Alex Daly & Hamish Smyth. That was easy.

Except, well, looking at things more closely – this got complicated surprisingly quickly – it might not have 468 at all. By "international standards", apparently, it NYC only has 421 subway stations. So how is there so much uncertainty about whether 47 New York subway stations actually exist? The main reason seems to be that the Metropolitan Transit Authority counts some “station complexes”, such as 14th Street-Union Square, as two or more stations; most networks would count them as one. You'd think it'd be easy to work out how much stations a metro network has, but no, apparently not. Anyway, what we can say for certain is that the subway has 368km of routes and currently operates 24 services which, we think, is the highest number in the world. It's a pretty big network, is what we're saying here. And that's without counting things like PATH . Despite the chronic uncertainty over exactly how many New York subway stations there are, it's pretty clear that there are more than on any other network.

No other system comes close: the Shanghai Metro is in distant second with its 12 lines and 337 stations, many of which come with fancy features like sliding safety doors . Platform screen doors installed at Shanghai's Xujiahui Station. Image: Jianshuo/Wikimedia Commons. Beijing isn't too far behind, with 319 stations, although this seems to run into similar problems as the figure for New York, and a more accurate count may be 268. Anyway, here’s the whole Top 10, using the figures as given by the networks themselves: NYC Subway – 468 Mexico City Metro – 195 Tokyo Metro – 179 You notice that asterisk next to Seoul? That’s because we’re only counting lines 1-9, and not a whole bunch of other stuff that may or may not be part of the network. Confused? Just you wait until we try to answer the next one: Which metro is the longest? You'd think, by restricting ourselves to a simple, one-dimensional numerical measure, that working out which city had the longest metro system in the world would be simple, wouldn't you? Ha. No such luck.

This time (spoilers), the root of the confusion lies in the vexed question of what counts as one metro network. One oft-cited candidate for the world’s longest metro network is the one in Seoul, which only opened in 1974 but by 2013 included 987.5km of route on 18 lines. That's pretty much enough to get you from London to Marseille. No other city comes close. So why is this question remotely contentious? Because it's surprisingly unclear whether that metro should be counted as one system or several. It includes lines 1-9, the subway proper, which is operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation and the Seoul Metro (with which it'll merge next year). But it also includes routes run by national rail operator Korail. Most contentiously, it includes lines run by satellite cities, such as the Incheon Transit Corporation, which operates trains in, well, Incheon. An extract from a map of Seoul's complete metro network created by Wikipedia User IRTC1015. You can see the terrifyingly complicated full version here .

All these operators provide a single integrated network – but it's still the equvialent of measuring the London Underground by counting Overground, DLR, and so forth, or of counting the RER and Transilien as part of the Paris Metro. We are in danger, in other words, of comparing apples and oranges. So what if you try to stick to apples alone? Look at lines 1-9 alone, and the network measures only 311km. Which is quite a lot smaller and probably not the biggest in the world at all. Other candidates for the top slot can’t promise the 900km+ of route that the wider definitions of the Seoul metro do, but the figures they do cite are probably less contentious. One is the Shanghai Metro, which runs to 548km and counting. In 2013, it achieved the distinction of becoming the first Chinese metro network to cross provincial boundaries , when line 11 was extended into the satellite city of Kunshan in neighbouring Jiangsu province. There's talk of extending it further, to connect up with metro systems of the cities of Suzhou and Wuxi, both of which are 100km away or more, too.

Not bad given that Shanghai didn't open its first metro line until 1993. It isn't the only monster subway system that's sprouted in China recently either. The Beijing Subway, first opened in 1969, is the country's oldest, so it got a bit of a head start on Shanghai. Today, it runs 18 lines, serves 319 stations, and stretches for 527km. Schematic map of Beijing's subway, created by Wikipedia Users Ran and Hat600. This is another one of those networks which has more than one operator: this one's split between the state-owned Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation Corp (15 lines) and the Beijing MTR Corp (a joint venture with the Hong Kong transit authorities, which operates three). Between them, in 2014, they carried 3.4bn passengers. One interesting feature of Beijing's metro is its station names , which, translated literally, mean things like Smooth Justice, Heavenly Peace Gate and (less appealingly) Cholera Camp. So, there you go.

Here, best we can tell, with all the caveats about different cities playing by different rules here, is the top 10 of metros proper: Shanghai Metro – 548km Anyway. Next we're going to try counting people. That's where things get really complicated. Which city has the busiest metro system? There’s something inherently about awkward about phrases like “1.5bn people a year ride on the Paris Metro”. It doesn’t mean that a fifth of the world are hanging around Châtelet–Les Halles station at least once a year, obviously, it just means that there are that many journeys undertaken. Anyway. Until very recently, on the question of which metro system carried the most passengers – had the highest ridership, in the jargon – there was a clear winner. The Tokyo Underground Railway Company launched Japan's first underground railway, the Ginza line between Ueno and Asakusa , in 1927. It was just 2.2 km long, but nonetheless, the line became so popular that passengers would queue up, sometimes waiting for over two hours just to ride the metro for five minutes.

Nearly nine decades later, the privately run Tokyo Metro runs nine lines, while the publically-owned Toei Subway operates another four and the Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit another. Between them they cover 290 stations – and carry a colossal 3.3bn passengers a year, or over 8m a day. Unsurprisingly, the network has become a byword for overcrowding – a sort of metaphor for Japan's work culture. The concept of “ pushers ”, in which guards help passengers by shoving them into crowded subway trains, seems to have started in New York. But these days, the “osiyas” (literally, Japanese for “person who pushes for a living”) are associated mostly with Toyko's crowded metro. Pushers at work. Screenshot from The Fat Finger on YouTube. At some point in the last couple of years, however, Tokyo may have lost its crown as the world's most crowded. Beijing’s has 18 lines, run by two operators: between them they carried an estimated 3.4bn passengers in 2014.

We say “may” because, as ever, it is difficult to be sure we're comparing like-with-like here: a journey involving two operators and three different lines may be counted once, twice, or three times, depending on the statistical rules applied by the local authorities. At present, then, it's difficult to be sure that Beijing has overtaken Tokyo. If it hasn't, though, it seems almost certain that, in the not too distant future, it will. Other networks are racing up behind, too. The Shanghai metro only opened in 1993, but in just over 20 years it's expanded to include 327 stations on 14 lines. By 2014 it was already carrying 2.8bn passengers a year. At the end of that year it's believed to have achieved a world record, when it carried 10.3m passengers in a single day. Not far behind that is our own friend the Seoul Subway, where lines 1-9 carry 2.6bn passengers per year.

(The extended network that we talked about last time carries considerably more.) Beijing Subway – 3.4bn New York City Subway – 1.8bn Hong Kong MTR – 1.7bn *Includes the Tokyo Metro, the Toei Subway, and the Rinkai Line. **Lines 1-9 only The London Underground is bubbling under in 11th place with just 1.3bn. And you thought the Central Line got crowded of a morning. So which metro should we call the world's biggest? Is it Toyko for being the busiest? Seoul for its length? New York for its station numbers? Or Shanghai for placing well in all categories? The answer, alas, has to be “it depends how you count”. Sorry. We did try to warn you. Research: Suren Prasad. Related Articles By Dan Anderson That bloody bridge again. Image: Heatherwick Studios. There have been many articles dedicated purely to criticising the Garden Bridge. This is not one of them. This piece is also about bullshit. Back in February 2016, I wrote an article that the editors at CityMetric boldly titled, “ On Bullshit and the Garden Bridge ”.

In critiquing the project’s business case, the article borrowed liberally from philosopher Harry Frankfurt’s 1986 essay, On Bullshit . Frankfurt’s essay was reprinted as a bestselling book in 2005 and was followed in 2006 by its companion piece, On Truth. Both works warned of the creeping danger of a society that could no longer distinguish between fact and fiction, and which was rapidly losing its traditional respect for truth and accuracy. Shortly after that article was posted, the Brexit campaign gathered steam. Soon, we were buried in an avalanche of bullshit from both sides. Next, we could only watch in stunned disbelief as the United States elected a President whose whole campaign was built on a platform of unapologetic bullshit. Bullshit became so pervasive in 2016 that it had to be re-badged and normalised as “post-truth politics”. For all the dead celebrities and political cataclysms, I will remember 2016 as the year in which Frankfurt’s horrifying prophesy became a daily reality. And if 2016 was the Year of Bullshit, then the Garden Bridge could be its monument.

Now, look, I’m not suggesting that you can draw a line from Joanna Lumley through Boris Johnson to Donald Trump. I’m not so foaming-at-the-mouth opposed to the Garden Bridge to think that these are issues of comparable importance. To suggest any equivalency between a Garden Bridge and a Trump presidency is like comparing a minor aggravation with Armageddon. But to consider the concept of bullshit in the context of Brexit or Trump you’d have to dive headfirst down a rabbit-hole of nuance and complexity. By comparison, the Garden Bridge is nice and simple. It’s a bridge with a garden on it. There is nothing remotely complex about it. The bullshit is there for all to see. If the Garden Bridge was, at the beginning of 2016, a signal of the almighty monsoon of bullshit that was about to rain down on us, then it is entirely fitting that the project should provide, by year’s end, a textbook example of the stuff. An instructive bookend to a bullshit year. A conflict of interest That’s what happened on 20 December 2016, when the Architects’ Journal published the allegation of a huge conflict of interest at the heart of the project.

Through the intrepid sleuthing of editor Will Hurst, the AJ obtained correspondence between the Garden Bridge Trust, Transport for London (TfL), and the Department for Transport (DfT) during that critical period between January and February 2016 when the Trust chose to sign a construction contract for the Bridge. The execution of that contract released a further £7m of public funding and would eventually expose the taxpayer to another £9m of cancellation costs . Central to the story was Richard de Cani, who was TfL’s managing director of planning at the time. The correspondence shows De Cani assertively trying to persuade a hesitant official at the DfT that the Trust had satisfied the conditions needed to trigger the next tranche of funding. The conflict of interest stems from the fact that De Cani was simultaneously serving his notice period, having already informed TfL that he was leaving to take a senior role at Arup – the engineering firm that is also a major contractor for the Garden Bridge. The most sinister aspect of Hurst’s article, however, was not the revelation itself, but the resulting response from Transport for London.

Here is TfL’s full comment: “Richard de Cani, as managing director of planning at TfL, led our involvement in the Garden Bridge and was required to continue doing so during his notice period. Any suggestion of improper involvement in relation to the Garden Bridge is completely unfounded. “The bridge’s construction contract is a matter between the Garden Bridge Trust and Bouygues TP Cimolai. “Our funding agreement with the Trust requires us to make grant payments once certain milestones have been reached, one of which was the signing of the construction contract. We have kept the DfT informed of these payments because of their financial contribution to the project.” Right there. That’s bullshit. And you have to call it that because it is technically not a lie. It’s actually 100 per cent accurate. It’s also completely misleading. It’s a clever bit of misdirection – a robust, unequivocal answer to a question that nobody asked. It’s a terrific example of what Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post famously described as the “non-denial denial” – a carefully crafted statement that sounds like a clearcut denial, but really isn’t.

The TfL statement alludes to a clause on page 38 of the Funding Agreement with the Garden Bridge Trust that reads as follows: “Sums to be paid by TfL to the Trust for construction activities will be paid in yearly instalments as set out in the payment profile. Payments will commence upon award of the main construction contract…” On the face of it, TfL’s response to the AJ article is technically true. Execution of the construction contract for the Garden Bridge did trigger the automatic release of the next tranche of public funding. The impression created by the statement is that, irrespective of any perceived conflict of interest, De Cani could not have acted improperly because his actions were determined by the terms of an existing agreement. Once the Trust took the critical decision to sign the construction contract, TfL was bound to honour the terms of the agreement and De Cani’s employment status was therefore irrelevant. The trouble with TfL’s statement – what makes it dishonest even if it is technically accurate – is not in what was said, but in what was judiciously left unsaid. Because the quoted excerpt above – the bit that TfL wants us to focus on – is not the complete wording of the relevant clause in the Deed of Grant.

This is how that section reads in full: “Sums to be paid by TfL to the Trust for construction activities will be paid in yearly instalments as set out in the payment profile.

Payments will commence upon award of the main construction contract subject to the following Conditions of Payment: The Trust has demonstrated to TfL’s satisfaction that it has secured, or is able to secure, a sufficient level of funding, including the Grant from TfL, to cover the costs of construction of the Garden Bridge; The Trust has demonstrated to TfL’s satisfaction that it has secured, or is able to secure, all the necessary consents needed to deliver the Project; The Trust has demonstrated to TfL’s satisfaction that an appropriate project ‘go/no go’ gateway review has been passed, including proper assessment and management of risks; The Trust has demonstrated to TfL’s satisfaction that it has appropriate plans in place for the operation and maintenance of the Garden Bridge; The Trust has demonstrated to TfL’s satisfaction that it has secured a satisfactory level of funding to operate and maintain the Garden Bridge once it is built for at least the first 5 (five) years of operation; and The Trust has demonstrated that these funds will only be used in respect of the construction of the Garden Bridge.” These conditions discredit the idea that the decision to release another £7m of public funding was a merely procedural action that was beyond manipulation by an official that may have been in a conflicted position.

Repeated use of the phrase “to TfL’s satisfaction” gave TfL the authority and the responsibility to make subjective judgements as to whether or not the Garden Bridge Trust had done enough to de-risk any further investment in the project. The conditions were there to protect the taxpayer. They were meant to ensure that the taxpayer's exposure to potentially abortive pre-construction costs was limited. Indeed, their intent was to avoid precisely the type of public spending debacle that we are now witnessing. Under the circumstances, it is perfectly legitimate to query whether individuals at TfL were acting in the best interests of the taxpayer or in the interests of the project and its contractors. That’s the nub of the issue that Transport for London dodged with its bullshit statement. A New Year’s Resolution I could write a whole other article explaining how the Garden Bridge Trust was not even close to meeting all its funding conditions and why it should never have signed that fateful construction contract in the first place. But my New Year’s resolution is to stop being so mouthy about the Garden Bridge. I’m pretty sure the project is all but doomed already and all the criticism is starting to feel a little bit churlish. Like I said: this article isn’t really about the Garden Bridge.

It is the practiced fluency with which Transport for London tried to bullshit its way out of an embarrassing corner that is the real cause for concern at this point. The allegations made by the Architects’ Journal are serious and damning and TfL’s response was wholly inadequate. Although technically truthful, career journalist Dan Froomkin of The Intercept still describes the non-denial denial as “fundamentally an act of deception”. It is symptomatic of an organisation that trivialises public trust and fails to take responsibility for its actions. A government agency that controls such large budgets and oversees such an important aspect of London’s economy should be held to the highest standards of honesty, transparency and accountability. It should not be allowed to skate through any crisis with a hollow and misleading statement that goes unchallenged. If we can salvage anything from the political wreckage of 2016 it should be a better nose for bullshit – and a zero-tolerance policy for those who deal it. Dan Anderson is an economist and a director at destination consultants Fourth Street. Want more of this stuff? Follow CityMetric on Twitter or Facebook .

China to build the world's largest underground system - Telegraph China China to build the world's largest underground system After rolling out almost 50,000 miles of expressways and 6,000 miles of high-speed rail lines, China is now turning its attention underground with the most extensive metro project the world has ever seen. Under the current projections, China will build the equivalent of 250 Circle lines by the end of the decade Photo: ALAMY By Malcolm Moore, in Shanghai 1:36PM GMT 03 Nov 2011 Comments More than 1 trillion yuan (£100 billion) will be spent on building underground networks in 28 cities, according to Gao Yucai, the head of the urban mass transit committee at China’s Communications and Transport association. Under the current projections, China will build the equivalent of 250 Circle lines by the end of the decade. Twelve Chinese cities already have metro systems up and running - and Shanghai went from a standing start to having a bigger network than the London Underground in just 15 years.

But creating metro systems has now become an important badge of progress even for lesser cities, such as Taiyuan, Urumqi and Shijiazhuang, many of whose residents are unsure about why billions of pounds of investment should be funnelled underground. “For local governments, having a metro really polishes the city’s image and illustrates the political achievements of its officials, even though all the metro lines currently in operation are losing money,” said Zhao Jian, a professor at Beijing’s Jiaotong university. Related Articles 260 hurt in Shanghai metro crash 27 Sep 2011 “Of course, local governments will have to fund the projects, and they are already heavily in debt. The money will have to mostly come from bank loans,” he added. More than 90 new lines have been rubber-stamped by China’s Reform and Development Commission, which oversees the country’s planning. And many smaller cities, including Dali, Haikou, Zhuzhou and Luoyang, are now in the process of submitting their own plans for approval. Experts said even if there appeared little need for widespread metro systems now, China’s traffic problems would be a major issue in the years ahead.

“Even the smaller cities are choked up with traffic,” said Xie Weida, a professor at Tongji university. “Urban rail is a good way to solve that.” “I am sure the local governments are not building subways just to improve their image, but also out of practical concerns. Our original plans never foresaw how many cars there would be on the roads, and there are ever increasing numbers of people moving to the cities.” What are the world's best metro systems? | CNN Travel What are the world's best metro systems? What are the world's best metro systems? There are few better ways to avoid traffic jams and road rage than by using underground rail -- but which systems are the best? By Edward Falzon and CNN Travel staff 9 January, 2013 From the single, circular line of Glasgow to the cobweb-like network that is London, underground train systems have been a cheap, reliable and convenient mode of transport for decades. The London Underground, also known as "The Tube," celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2013. Having stood the test of time it ranks as one of the greatest metro systems in the world.

(S hare with us your most memorable Tube journey .) But what about the others? Copenhagen Metro has a driver-less rail system that runs 24 hours a day. São Paulo Metro has a comparatively small 74 kilometers of track, yet carries 3.3 million passengers each day. Montreal has one of the lowest carbon footprints for metro networks in the world. Many CNN readers nominated Moscow in the comments section below. But what other systems would they rank among "the best?" We've taken onboard readers' comments and suggestions to update this article. Here are a few underground rail systems we think deserve credit -- let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Hong Kong Wi-Fi hotspots and phone signal boosters mean this network is more connected than most. Praise for Hong Kong’s MTR gushes from every traveler who’s ever set a toe inside the immaculately clean, well-signposted, cheap, regular, convenient system that connects most corners of the city, from the crowded bowels of Wan Chai to the rural(ish) villages of Tai Po. “…one of the most efficient people carriers in the world,” says reviewer swissfondue on VirtualTourist .

There’s free Wi-Fi in 42 stations, facilities such as tactile flooring and Braille plates for travelers with disabilities and public washrooms, shops, banks and takeaway food outlets inside many stations or close to their exits. There's no timetable for commuters -- trains just turn up every few minutes, sooner during peak periods -- and it's dead simple for visitors to buy a ticket via the automated machines. It has possibly the world’s most convenient Airport Express service, with departures every 10 minutes or so. And then there's the Octopus card -- possibly the world's greatest transport payment system, which can also be used in convenience stores, restaurants and other places. Cities like Melbourne should scream with jealousy. The website offers handy one-day itineraries for Hong Kong tourists keen to shop, eat or discover the local culture Occasionally the walk from one concourse to the next can be lengthy and some stations get ridiculously crowded during peak hours (looking at you TST, Causeway Bay). But that just gives more time to watch and wonder as this 211-kilometer, 150-station system copes easily with its 3.4 million passengers every day.

Also on CNNGo: 10 epic train journeys Seoul The world's first virtual mart for smartphone users opened at Seollung Station in Seoul in 2011. Operated by three different companies (two of them state-funded), the Seoul metro system carries almost 7 million passengers per day on nine lines. In addition to being one of the only metro systems in the world with cell phone service and Wi-Fi, many of the Seoul subway trains are outfitted with TVs and are climate controlled. We love the toasty, heated seats in the winter. "Many subway planners come to Korea and are really blown away by the technology that we have in place," says Jung-whan Kim from Seoul Metro's media team. "It's a big showpiece for Korea's emphasis on IT." The only downside is the early closing time -- around midnight on weekdays, a little earlier on weekends -- considering how obsessed the city is with nightlife. Singapore Most Improved Odor. Now that's a prize that should be on every award list. SMRT swept “the MetroRail Awards ” in 2010, taking home prizes for Most Energy Efficient, Most Technologically Innovative, Best Metro in Asia-Pacific and Most Improved Odor.

After an amalgamation of several transit-service-providers in 2000, SMRT has grown to 600 million passengers per year. Some use it to seek refuge from the heat outside, lapping up the air-conditioned comfort. The system gets demerits for lack of EZ-Link ticket card machines at some stations, meaning frequent lengthy lines for travelers needing to top up or buy a ticket. London London mayor Boris Johnson about to prove why some music is best kept underground. The London Tube was the world's first underground metro, opening in 1863 … and they've not done terribly much since. Only in the current, two-decade-long upgrade plan have air-conditioned carriages been introduced. But for history, for great underground busking and for something relatively cheap in an expensive city, it's hard to beat. Despite all the grumbling, the Underground ferries more than 1 billion journeys per year. Not bad for something that old. Also on CNN: 10 tips for London Tube survival Paris When the only complaint is "the doors are manual," you're probably doing a lot right.

The City of Light's metro is unusually dense, with 245 stations on 14 lines, in just 87 square kilometers of the city. Parisians, apparently, don't like to walk. With more than 1.5 billion passengers a year, Paris Metro is in the top-five for busiest city-rail services in the world. The Paris Metro does lose some points for not having automatically opening doors. This hints at the average age of the carriages and suggests a need to spend a little on upgrades. Also on CNN: Europe's most beautiful metro stations Madrid Stations big enough for museums. At 294 kilometers, Madrid has the sixth-longest metro system in the world. But on top of that is another 386 kilometers of suburban rail services. All up, Madrid's railway serves 1.5 billion passengers each year with 21 lines and 396 stations. Impressive, particularly given that Madrid's population is only 6.5 million. The underground stations are so huge that they can hold public events, such as the three-day fitness festival in May 2011, which attracted 2,600 visitors. One station contains a 200-square-meter archaeological museum.

Madrid Metro has 1,656 escalators, the most of any system in the world. New York City The subway system that's about more than commuting. It would be grossly unjust to leave out the city whose subway system, at least, never sleeps. New York City's MTA subway lines are doubled up so all local and express trains can run simultaneously along the same routes, 24 hours a day. And even when carrying out major work on a line, only a single track is decommissioned, leaving a reduced but still-open service. That's planning. Hurricane Sandy hit the network hard in 2012, though it was quick to rebound with only a few areas yet to return to 100 percent. Extra points must go to New York City for the MTA's Music Under New York program, supporting local musicians. Speaking of musicians, a trip on the MTA isn't complete without encountering a busker (or beggar) doing the rounds of carriages. Tokyo Often crowded yet always super-efficient. Tokyo's rail system is legendary. Super-fast, super-punctual, super-everything. Some 102 train lines, an estimated 14 billion passengers per year.

By most measures, Tokyo should take first place on anyone's list of best metros. Successfully navigating Tokyo by train (and working out which station exit to use) is a proud moment for any traveler. For some a positive, others a negative, you risk social-pariah status if you ever talk on your phone while moving . That's consideration for others at its best. Or worst. Guangzhou, China From zero to 1.2 billion passenger in 20 years. After failing five times in 30 years to create a metro system, Guangzhou's first metro line was finally opened in 1997 and a second line was opened in 2002. Infrastructure investment exploded in 2004 when the city was awarded the 2010 Asian Games. In the ensuing six years, the council spent RMB 70 billion (US$11 billion) on the metro system.

For going from absolute zero in 1992 to eight lines, 144 stations, 236 kilometers of track and 1.2 billion passengers in 2008, and for the upcoming 48-minute express-trip to Hong Kong (opening in 2015), Guangzhou must get a mention. 10 Largest Metro Systems In The World - 10 Most Today 10 Largest Metro Systems In The World Transportation Before you is a list of the largest metro systems in the world. There are over 165 distinct systems that can be referred as metro system, subway systems or underground systems, and their size can be measured by a number of factors – number of users, total length of rails or number of stations. Here we decided to list the metro systems by the number of stations, and mention the other factors as well 1. New York City Subway, NYC, United States – 421 stations – The famous subway of NYC has the largest number of stations in the world. Opened in 1904, it’s also one of the oldest (8th oldest to be exact).

The NYC subway has a total length of 373 km (232 mi) – that’s 4th in the world, and a whooping 1.7 billion riders as to 2013! Largest Metro Systems In The World: NYC subway 2. Paris Métro, Paris , France – 303 stations – The Paris Métro opened in 1900 – the 5th oldest metro system in the world. It has 303 stations spread over 214 km (133 mi) and over 1.5 billion riders enjoying fast and reliable transportation every year Largest Metro Systems In The World: Paris Métro (source: Fabio Venni @ flickr ) 3. Madrid Metro, Madrid , Spain – 300 stations – With almost the same number of stations as Paris and even a larger total length – 293 km (182 mi), the Madrid Metro was first opened in 1919. It has “only” 500 million riders every year – the least number of riders between all the metro systems on this list Largest Metro Systems In The World: Madrid Metro 4.

Seoul Subway, Seoul, South Korea – 296 stations – The Seoul Subway opened much later than the previous systems – in 1974. It has a total length of 327.0 km (203.2 mi) and has the second largest number of riders – over 2.5 billion every year!! Largest Metro Systems In The World: Seoul Subway 5. London Underground (“The Tube”), London , England – 270 stations – The famous London Tube first opened as an “underground railway” in 1863, but the first electric line opened in 1890 making it the world’s very first metro system. It’s also the third longest system with 402 km (250 mi) and more than 1.2 billion users each year Largest Metro Systems In The World: London Underground (“The Tube”) 6. Shanghai Metro, Shanghai, China – 263 stations – Shanghai Metro is only 6th where it comes to number of stations, but it has the longest length in the world – 538 km (334 mi)! Considering it only opened in 1993, this is truly an achievement!

Shanghai Metro is also one of the busiest systems in the world with over 2.5 billion riders each year Largest Metro Systems In The World: Shanghai Metro 7. Beijing Subway, Beijing, China – 232 stations – Beijing Subway is the busiest metro system in the world with over 3.2 billion users each year! China can be proud of being the only country with metro systems in this list Largest Metro Systems In The World: Beijing Subway 8. Mexico City Metro, Mexico City, Mexico – 195 stations – Mexico City Metro has 195 stations spread over 226.5 km (140.7 mi) and servicing 1.6 billion riders yearly Largest Metro Systems In The World: Mexico City Metro 9. Moscow Metro, Moscow , Russia – 194 stations – The Moscow metro system opened in 1934 and has a combined length of 325.4 km (202.2 mi). It services almost 2.5 billion people every year. But the Moscow metro is not just another metro system. The stations are known as “Underground palaces”.

The beautiful underground structures are designed with care: with pictures on the walls, chandeliers hanging from the ceilings and more. The stations of the Moscow Metro are a major tourist attraction on their own. Some of the most beautiful stations are Komsomolskaya Metro Station, Kievskaya Metro Station, Prospekt Mira Metro Station, Park Pobedy Metro Station, Novoslobodskaya Metro Station, Mayakovskaya Metro station Largest Metro Systems In The World: Moscow Metro (source: Mikhail (Vokabre) Shcherbakov @ flickr ) The underground palaces of Moscow – the Moscow metro stations 10. Tokyo Metro, Tokyo, Japan – 179 stations – The 179 stations of the Tokyo Metro are spread over a combined length of 195.1 km (121.2 mi).

The Tokyo Metro is used by 2.3 billion people every year Largest Metro Systems In The World: Tokyo Metro And in places 11-13, almost made the cut are the Berlin U-Bahn which opened in 1902, the Chicago ‘L’ – opened in 1897 as the very first metro system in America, and the Barcelona Metro The world's 14 largest metro systems (photos) | ZDNet This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com Published: August 1, 2013 -- 10:52 GMT (03:52 PDT) Caption by: Andrew Nusca No. 13: Cairo, Egypt Cairo's Metro system is one of only two comprehensive metro systems in Africa; the other is in Algiers. First opened in 1987, the system consists of three operational lines and today carries about 837 million riders, per 2010/2011 figures. A ride costs just one Egyptian pound, or about US$0.15, which helps to address the city's rapid growth since the 1980s.

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com Published: August 1, 2013 -- 10:52 GMT (03:52 PDT) Caption by: Andrew Nusca No. 12: Sao Paulo, Brazil What can you say about Sāo Paulo's famous metro system? Well, for starters, it's the second largest system in South America and the third largest in Latin America, behind systems in Mexico City and Santiago. Launched in 1974, the system now carries 877.2 million people for an average of 3 Brazilian Real, or about US$1.32 -- critical for a city expected to be one of the fastest growing, economically speaking, in the next decade. This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com Published: August 1, 2013 -- 10:52 GMT (03:52 PDT) Caption by: Andrew Nusca No. 11: London, England London's Underground (and its recognizable circular symbol) has reached iconic status, and rightly so: "the Tube" began operation in 1863.

Today, it has a breathtaking 11 lines serving almost 1.2 billion passengers, per 2011 figures. A ride isn't cheap, though: the zoned system starts at £4.50, which is about US$6.85. Much cheaper fares can be had through the use of the Oyster contact-less "smart card." This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com Published: August 1, 2013 -- 10:52 GMT (03:52 PDT) Caption by: Andrew Nusca No. 10: Paris, France The Paris Metro system is best known around the world for its original Art Nouveau entrances, which date back to the system's inauguration in 1900. Today's system, which includes 14 inner-city lines and five regional lines, the underground heart of France's capital city, and handles 1.51 billion passengers each year, per 2011 figures. A ride will set you back 1.70 Euro, or about US$2.25.

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com Published: August 1, 2013 -- 10:52 GMT (03:52 PDT) Caption by: Andrew Nusca No. 9: Hong Kong, China Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway first opened in 1979 and now has 10 light rail lines and a ridership of 1.6 billion, making it the number one mode of public transport in a city of seven million people. How did it achieve such growth in that short amount of time? Government backing. A basic adult fare costs HK$3.50, or about $0.45. Similar to London, Hong Kong's system has a contact-less "smart" fare card named Octopus. This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com Published: August 1, 2013 -- 10:52 GMT (03:52 PDT) Caption by: Andrew Nusca No. 8: Mexico City, Mexico Don't underestimate Mexico City's sprawling Metro, which carried 1.61 billion people in 2012 and spans 12 lines.

The system, which began operation in 1969, is what keeps Mexico's capital city moving and is a key strategy to curb the city's massive automotive gridlock problem. At three Mexican pesos, or about US$0.25, a ride won't made too much of a dent in your wallet. It's also music to the ears of a city with 8.8 million people. This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com Published: August 1, 2013 -- 10:52 GMT (03:52 PDT) Caption by: Andrew Nusca No. 7: New York, United States of America New York is called the city that never sleeps, and a key tool for that is a transit system that doesn't, either. The 24-hour network carried 1.66 billion people in 2012 -- enough to place it on this list, but also enough to lead the U.S. by a large margin. (Consider: its Lexington Avenue 4-5-6 subway line carries more passengers every day than the entire Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. metro systems combined.

) The system has 34 lines and began operation in 1904; a ride will run you US$2.25. This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com Published: August 1, 2013 -- 10:52 GMT (03:52 PDT) Caption by: Andrew Nusca No. 6: Guangzhou, China Guangzhou is probably among the least-known cities on this otherwise star-studded list, but name recognition means little when you successfully carried 1.83 billion riders to their destinations in 2012. The city's metro was the fourth such system built in China, and opened in 1997. The system has grown at break-neck speed since then, and now spans eight lines. It costs as little as two Chinese yuan -- about US$0.33 -- to ride. This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com Published: August 1, 2013 -- 10:52 GMT (03:52 PDT) Caption by: Andrew Nusca No. 5: Shanghai, China Twelve lines. Almost 300 stations.

The third-longest system in the world -- and it was only opened in 1993. Oh, and did we mention that there are several more lines under construction? Shanghai's metro saw 2.28 billion passengers in 2012, no slouch for China's most populous city. At just three yuan per ride, or about US$0.50, it's a deal, too. This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com Published: August 1, 2013 -- 10:52 GMT (03:52 PDT) Caption by: Andrew Nusca No. 4: Beijing, China The oldest metro system in China has hardly rested on its laurels since it first opened in 1969, and now handles upwards of 2.46 billion riders, per 2012 figures. It's the second-longest system in the world. Amazingly, 15 of its 17 lines were built after 2002, and it's still building: two more lines are scheduled to come online in the next two years.

With a fare of two Chinese yuan, or about US$0.33, it's a regular contender for most affordable in China, thanks to significant government subsidies. This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com Published: August 1, 2013 -- 10:52 GMT (03:52 PDT) Caption by: Andrew Nusca No. 3: Moscow, Russia Moscow's famed Metro is among the most beautiful in the world, thanks to its marble walls, high ceilings and elaborate chandeliers. But the state-owned system is also a day-to-day powerhouse, with 12 lines and 2.46 billion passengers in 2012. Opened in 1935, the system is rather inexpensive -- just 30 Russian rubles per ride, or about US$0.91 -- and "smart" card-enabled. This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com Published: August 1, 2013 -- 10:52 GMT (03:52 PDT) Caption by: Andrew Nusca No. 2: Seoul, South Korea It may be a cliché to say, but Seoul's Metropolitan Subway has soul.

With 19 lines and a clean, efficient demeanor, there's little reason to wonder why the system saw 2.52 billion passengers in 2011. Seoul's metro first opened in 1974, and as befits its Korean location, it's now kitted out with all the finest technology: mobile applications, massive electronic displays and, naturally, a "smart" payment system that will set you back 1,050 won, or about US$0.93, per ride. Photo: Keith Lee This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com Published: August 1, 2013 -- 10:52 GMT (03:52 PDT) Caption by: Andrew Nusca No. 1: Tokyo, Japan The most populous city in the world -- by a long shot -- also has the busiest public transport system in the world, too. Tokyo's joint Metro and Toei Subway systems saw an astounding 3.1 billion riders in 2011. The Metro spans nine lines and the Subway another four; they first opened in 1927 and 1960, respectively.

The entire system handles the Japanese and English languages with ease, and contact-less fare cards are plentiful. A ride on the world's most traveled public transit system costs just 160 Japanese yen, or about US$1.61. It's a tremendous human achievement. What have you got to lose? This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com Published: August 1, 2013 -- 10:52 GMT (03:52 PDT) Caption by: Andrew Nusca

Question: Which city has the largest underground railway system in the world
Answer: London